For A Reason
by EterniGhost
Summary: Takes place right after the ending of the first game. Joel is worried and confused about why Ellie changed so much after winter, Ellie is starting to doubt Joel's answer, and a strange girl appears.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Even though I haven't played TLOU, the characters and story stuck with me long after I finished (watching people play) it. So I finally tried my hand at some fanfiction. Did I get the character's personalities right? Anything else I should add? Put it in the comments! I am always trying to improve, so constructive** **criticism** **is allowed!**

 **Disclaimer: All credit for the things in the story goes to Naughty Dog and I don't own the characters.**

"Swear to me," Ellie looked up at Joel. "Swear to me, that everything you told me about the Fireflies is true." The sounds of the river seemed to fade into the background as Joel considered the question. He had come so far with her and couldn't lose his daughter again. _You can't save her. Even if you got her out of here, then what?_ Marlene's words echoed in his ears as he shifted his weight. _How long before she's torn to pieces by a pack of clickers?_ The truth could wait.

"I swear."

Ellie went silent. "Okay," she said simply, after the slightest hesitation.

About half a mile away, a graceful deer lowered its head and munched on the lush grass. Behind it, a girl silently slipped her bow out, nocked an arrow, and pulled back. She let go, and the arrow sang. The deer went rigid, then fell to the ground, a dark crimson patch slowly spreading where the arrow hit. The archer hurried forward, grabbed hold of the antlers, and started dragging it with her. Before long, the sound of voices made her stop and listen. As the voices got louder, she could decipher them.

"Tommy's place is just through here. Feels good to be back, huh?"

A pause was followed by a rustle of branches, and a much younger voice replied, "Yeah." The duo made their way toward Jay, who crouched in the bushes, bow held at the ready. She shifted her weight, and her foot crunched on some dead sticks. The smaller girl jumped, staring hard just to the left of where the archer was.

Jay counted to five in her head, then slowly stood up, brushing some leaves from her orange hair. The tension was heavy in the air they stared at each other, Ellie's hand crawling to her gun, and Jay looking for any sign that they would kill her.

"You guys have any ammo or guns you don't need?," She gestured to her kill. "I'd be willing to trade, if you guys..." Her voice had started off strong and confident, but trailed off as she brought her attention back to the girl, who let out an involuntary gasp, eyes fixated on the deer. "Hey, it's dead. What are you so scared of?" she said kind of awkwardly, as she wondered what could be so terror-inducing about a deer. As if to demonstrate, Jay tugged at one of it's big antlers.

But Ellie didn't hear her. Her mind was a million miles away. Even though it was a relatively warm day, it felt like the coldest of winters. A tall, lanky man stepped out from behind a tree.

"Hello… we just want to talk," came that dreaded voice, the one that Ellie feared the most. Her fingertips touched the cool metal of her gun, and she gripped it so hard her knuckles turned white. _Goawaygoawaygoawaygoaway._

Joel glanced at her, lines of worry etched in his rugged complexion. But they left as quickly as they came, and he turned his attention back to the stranger that stood before him. It was obvious she had struck a raw nerve in Ellie, and he wasn't about to let the situation get any worse for her.

"Listen. I don't know who you are. How 'bout we just go on our separate ways?" As Ellie pulled out her gun, Joel rested a rough hand on her shoulder.

"Easy."

Unaware, or perhaps hiding awareness of her terror, the man continued. "Um, name's David, this here's my fr..." Ellie blinked. The hand on her shoulder dragged her thoughts back from the hell it had just been in. The snow in her hair, patches of dead grass, the smell of the dead rabbit, and the neighs of Callus in the background all disappeared. She was standing there, with her gun out, aimed at nothing. Her arms dropped to her sides and her head went down.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, kiddo." Joel was torn between comforting Ellie and making sure this stranger didn't kill them. "Why don't you just take that deer and leave?" His gruff tone seemed totally different than the one he used for Ellie a moment ago.

"Alright then," Jay was slightly weirded out by the way the girl reacted. Secretly, she wanted to join them back at wherever they were going. It had been a while since she had met people that hadn't immediately wanted to kill her. Before she could say or do anything she would regret, she shrugged and started lugging the deer behind her, surprisingly fast for her size.

Ellie and Joel continued on their path, Ellie much more distant than before, if that was even possible. "Ellie? Don't go runnin' off like last time. There are only so many horses," He turned toward Ellie, who hadn't replied. "Ellie?" Her emerald eyes snapped up.

"What?"

He sighed. "Never mind." Any other attempt at small talk was met with one-word answers or silence. Joel sighed and ran his hand over his mouth. He had never known this side of her. She was always so happy, with her jokebook, and random side comments, and now she was just so… quiet. He didn't know what had happened with David before he pulled her off of him, but whatever it was, it was enough to break his chatty, energetic girl.

He didn't try to make conversation after that, and the only sounds that could be heard were their plodding feet and some birds that were chirping away in the breeze.

At last, they reached the familiar gates. Ellie barely looked up as the guards recognized them and opened the doors. Maria saw them come in and hurried over, her face full of joy.

"You're back! How'd it go?" Joel looked at her tiredly. "We can talk about it tomorrow." _Or never._ There was a flicker of doubt in her blue eyes as she replied. "Sure. I'll alert Tommy, and he'll give you guys a place to stay. He's going to be glad you're back. We all are." Joel's gaze had drifted to Ellie, who had not said a word since arriving. _I'll talk to her later._

As soon as she saw the pair leave, Jay trailed them, leaving the deer far behind. She heard their comment about going home somewhere, and she was intrigued. _They might have supplies._ The gates of the settlement loomed before her, and she stayed crouched in the bushes, watching to see what they would do. To her surprise, the gates swung open almost immediately for them, and they disappeared behind a wall. Jay looked over her shoulder, where she could see a cloud in the distance. _Wait, that's not a cloud._ As the bandits advanced, Jay only could think of one plan. _They'll have to let me in. It's the only way I won't get beaten to a pulp._ She stood up, and ran to the entrance. Guns were pointed at her, and she raised her arms.

"Why are you here?"

"There's people coming in from that direction. You're under attack."

 **Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. There will be more to come!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: So Ellie has some questions...**

 **Did the transitions between Jay and Joel/Ellie seem weird or hard to understand? Anything else you thought could have been written better? Leave it in the comments, and I will do my best to make the story better.**

When Tommy came to greet them, it had already been a few hours.

"Sorry, we're kinda busy today. It's good to see you again, brother. And you too, Ellie," he greeted them. "We got a place for you. I wasn't lying when I said you had a home here." A slight smile touched his face. "It's lookin' pretty worn out right now, but with a little cleaning and dustin' off, it'll be a cozy home." he said as he led them out into the main street. As they passed the houses, Tommy gave them an informal tour. "There's the cook's house. Makes mighty good meals, she does. And over there's Danny. He runs the stables. Got pretty angry when you ran off with his best horse." Tommy looked over at them. "Hey, what happened to him anyway?" Joel opened his mouth to say something, but Ellie spoke up before him.

"Oh, he was shot in the side." she said nonchalantly, as if this didn't affect her at all. But Joel knew better.

"Look, Ellie…" But she never knew what he was going to say, for at the moment, the familiar siren pierced through her thoughts.

"Goddamnit." Tommy's face was grim. "That's the second attack this week."

A guard blinked down at the orange-haired girl.

"Are you trying to fool us, girl? Our security systems are very tight, we would never-" He broke off abruptly as he saw the group of incoming bandits. "Shit. Sound the alarm!" As all the guards rushed out of the gates, Jay silently snuck in, her small frame easily sliding behind the mass of people. A high-pitched whining sound burst into the already-chaotic scene as people were running for their weapons. Jay pulled out her gun, hoping she wouldn't have to use it. As other people were distracted, Jay glanced around the place, imagining what it would be like to live here. _Are they with the Fireflies? There seems to be an awful lot of people. Are they just a bigger bandit group?_ She never got a chance to find the answer to these questions, because she got pushed out into the open, and the bandits were getting closer. All the guards were hiding behind everything that they could. Jay quickly ducked behind a bush, and then the bandits were on them. Almost instantly, the ear-piercing shots rang out, Jay's joining them after a moment's hesitation.

"Stay back!" "This is our land!" Cries rang out from the desperate soldiers as they reloaded, aimed, and fired almost mechanically at the retreating bandits. "And don't come back!" As the chaos settled down, Jay had to think of a reason of why she was there. As she looked wildly around, trying to find someone to talk to, she noticed a blond-haired woman staring down at her, her blue eyes piercing right through Jay's.

"Are you one of them?" her voice cut right through the chatter of the soldiers.

"No, I was the person that warned-"

Maria cut her off. "Then get out of this town."  
Jay hesitated for a moment. _Why am I even considering staying? I'll just get attached to people, and that will make it harder to leave. You're better off alone, don't have to worry about your friends getting bit._ Her mouth, however, seemed to have a mind of its own.

"Can I stay here? I can fight, or do whatever you need." _Stop lying to yourself. You're lonely, okay? You're so desperate for friendship you're willing to walk right into trouble. Well, too late to turn back. No one would probably like you here anyway._ Maria's eyes narrowed.

"She's right, y'know," A guard that had been listening to their exchange piped up.

"She a good shot with that thing." He gestured to her gun, which she had put back its holster. "She'd be a useful asset to the sentinels when she gets a bit older."

Jay turned her grey eyes toward the woman. After a moment's pause, Maria relented.

"You'd better have made the right decision, Patrick," she said to the guard, then turned to Jay. "All right, you can stay. We didn't know we were gonna have a newcomer, so you can room with someone else before we scrounge something up. Make sure you're earning your food. " Jay nodded gratefully.

"Of course." _Now why did you go and do that? You were fine on your own._ Jay shook her head. _I wasn't. And besides, why say no to a constant supply of food?_ Her mind couldn't argue with that, and she followed the guards back into the town. Maria waved her over to a rather large house near the end of the street.

"My brother in law, Joel, and his daugh-" Maria cut herself off before she could finish the word. "Him and Ellie are staying in the house. It's got room for a great many more than just two. I figured you could stay with them until we get a separate place for you. Here are your keys." Maria handed her a rusty ring, with an equally rusty key on it.

"Thanks." Jay accepted the ring, and stared at the building. _Now about that food._ "If it's okay with you, I'll take a walk and explore the place. See you around."

"That's fine. See you," came her curt reply.

Ellie's mind raced with questions unanswered. _What happened with the Fireflies? Why have they stopped looking for the cure? Are there really more immune people? Why didn't I know?_ Her hands balled into fists. _What did he mean 'the drugs are still wearing off'? Why didn't I wake up in the hospital room?_ Her breathing got quicker, and she replayed a certain scene in her mind. _Was there hesitation before his reply? What does he know about survivor's guilt?_

"Well, that was a mess. Are you okay?" Joel's voice snapped her out of the daze. Ellie looked around wildly, tried and failed to steady her breathing, and forced her hands to relax.  
"Yeah."

"Well, come on then. Our new house is waiting." He turned his key in the lock, and after some fiddling, the door swung open with a creak. "Welcome home, kiddo." Straight ahead, was a run-down kitchen. To their left, a rather large living room. And to their right, a hallway which Joel assumed led to the bedrooms. He inspected the kitchen while Ellie flopped down on the long couch on one side of the wall. She played with the dark red fraying edges of the pillows as Joel opened the cabinets, looking for food.

"Ah. Beans." He doubtfully turned one of the knobs under the stove. To his surprise, a small but warm fire started, and Joel dumped the beans on a pan that was nearby. "I'll have a nice dinner going soon." The house seemed oddly silent, and Joel eventually figured it out. _What happened with Ellie? Is she gonna be okay? Did she..._ He focused on stirring the contents of the pan, but the thoughts kept coming. _Did she find out I lied? Is she mad at me?_ A more battle-hardened part of his mind took over. _You don't need her. She's right. She's not Sarah. She's not your daughter. Bill was right. It is better on your own._ Joel tried to push the thoughts out of his mind, and he found himself stabbing at the beans. _No. She's the reason I'm alive. The question is, what's hers?_

"Joel?" Ellie's voice made him come running.

"What is it?"

Her eyes, pools of emerald, seemed to see right through his lies. There was a long pause, in which Ellie debated what to ask him.

"What happened to the Fireflies?"


	3. Chapter 3

**And I'm back from the dead! This chapter took longer that it should have, and I apologize. Is there anything you think would make the story better? Leave it in the comments!**

Jay carefully walked along the side of the road, sticking close to the walls. Some of the guards gave her suspicious glances, but she ignored them, sticking her hands in her the pockets of her black jacket. Her hands hit cool metal, and she closed them around her Firefly pendant. _Remember when you were one of them? Remember when you weren't…_ She gripped the pendant, its edges cutting into her skin. _Lonely? Maybe this is your chance._ She raised her head. The sky was beginning to get dark. _I'll stay out here a little longer. No one will miss me anyways._ A rare calm settled over her, and she sat and hugged her knees to her chest behind a wall. She fiddled with her house key as people hurried home, looking forward to getting some sleep. _The other people just came here today. At least, that's what Maria said. Could they be the people who I met earlier? What was up with that girl? A girl that scared of something dead couldn't have survived so long._

Joel sat down on the couch next to her and considered his reply.

"Well," Joel held eye contact. The silence hung in the air like a fog. "Even if they had got what they needed, there was no guarantee that they would have found the cure." Ellie looked back down.

"What do you mean 'even if'? What happened, Joel?" Her voice rose. "What are you not telling me?"

 _You've hid behind a wall of lies for long enough._ Joel exhaled. _It's time to come clean._

"You see, they had to extract the mutation from you to get the cure. Least it's what Marlene told me."

 _Marlene? What was she doing there?_ Ellie swallowed her questions and waited for Joel to continue.

"But it grows all over the brain," he said, replaying the moment in his head. "They were goin' to have to kill you to get it."

Ellie's expression turned from one of hopefulness to one of shock, then realization.

"Oh."

"A-and I couldn't let them do that, so I… I stopped them." _Well, that's one way to put it._

"And Marlene?"

"All the Fireflies in the building are dead."

Ellie's eyes filled.

"Why did you save me? I was the cure for humanity! Remember what you said? Saving humanity _was_ my purpose! You had no fucking right to take that away from me!"

"Look, even if they had killed you, they still might have not gotten the cure. In fact, there was a big possibility that they wouldn't." If Joel felt any remorse over his actions, he didn't show it. "Let's just sleep on it. We can talk about it more in the mornin'. Besides, there's supposed to be another girl your age comin'. Might as well get to know her." But Ellie wasn't listening. She ran out the door and shut it with a bang. Joel sniffed the air, where a faint burning scent was gathering. _Goddamn beans are burned._

Jay shivered. Even with her jacket, the night air still was cold enough to chill her to the bone. _I should head back before the other people are asleep and think I'm trying to murder them._ Her footsteps echoed in the silent town, and she pulled her jacket tighter around her. As she walked up to what was now her house, she heard snippets of the conversation from inside. "...cure for humanity! ...take that away…not gotten the cure…" _Cure for humanity?_ Before Jay could lament on this, the girl that she had seen earlier ran out of the house, tears streaming down her face. _Something went down in there._ Jay looked up. _Enough to make her run out on a night like this. Hey, at least it's not snowing. She'd catch a cold if it was._ An idea popped into her head. _Hey, I'm not that tired. Maybe it's the adrenaline from the battle. Whatever. I'm gonna shadow her. Might be a challenge, considering her skittishness._ She followed Ellie, trying to step as lightly as possible while moving at top speed. _Challenge accepted._

Ellie ran straight toward the one place she felt at home, the stables. A twinge of sadness hit her as she remembered Callus. _Hopefully this horse won't die on me._ She stuck her head in the door. Nothing. _Danny must be asleep._ She took one of the horses and left, thoughts bouncing around in her mind. As the wind rushed past her, she could only think of one place to go.

Jay ducked behind the side of the building, eyes trained on Ellie. _Is she getting a horse? That must be the stables. Yep, that's a horse. How am I going to track that?_ She ran, silently and stealthily, to the gate. _Horse tracks. Of course._ She sat down and leaned against the wall, at an angle where the guards couldn't see. _I can wait a bit then._

As the shape of the ranch house came into view, Ellie slowed the horse into a trot. It looked different at night. Remembering what had happened the last time she was here, she pulled out her gun as she opened the door. _Nothing. Well, that's good._ Her footsteps echoed eerily as she ran up the stairs. _I never got to see what happened with that girl._ As she sat down on the bed, turning the pages of the girl's diary, reading about a girl who would never had dreamed of the things Ellie had done, her mind started to drift. _First it was Riley, then Tess, then Sam and Henry, and now Marlene. How many more people are going to die because of me?_ _What if Joel dies? Is he lying about anything else?_ She pulled up her sleeve. _If Riley was immune instead of me, things would probably be better._ Her mother's letter came into mind. _Anna -is it weird that I'm calling her Anna instead of mom?- told me to fight for my purpose, but what do I do if that's taken away?_ Riley's speech flashed into her mind. _Can I even trust Joel anymore?_ She put down the book and sunk her head into her hands. A moment later, her heart started hammering as she heard the door open.

The beam of her flashlight shone on the slightly muddy grass as Jay looked for horse tracks to follow. She nimbly jumped across a log covered in moss, and stopped at the entrance to a house. And at the front, was a horse. _This is where she ran off to._ She put a hand to the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**And Chapter 4 is here! The chapter are taking a bit longer than I hoped to put up, as I have other stuff going on, but I'll try to make them as quick as possible without ruining the quality.**

Ellie suddenly felt utterly alone. Without Joel there to protect her, memories of the burning restaurant came back to her. Her breaths became fast and panicked, and she felt like the rabbit she had shot. _It doesn't sound like infected._ She pointed her gun down the stairs.

"Come out!" A girl, about her age, slipped her hands into her pockets. "Hey. I believe we've met?" Ignoring the gun, Jay leaned against the door frame, trying to look as nonthreatening as possible.

"Yeah," came the quiet reply. Her gun was still aimed point-blank at Jay.

"What are you doing here?"

Jay shrugged. "Practicing my tracking skills." Ellie's expression didn't change. "Really?"

"Hey, I could ask you the same question."

"It's… a long story." The tip of the gun shuddered, but quickly went rigid. _You make one move and I'll put one right between your eyes._

"All right then." Jay sighed. This was going nowhere. "I've heard that I've got to stay with you and Joel. The blonde woman said something about you being his daughter?"

Ellie froze. "Maria. That's her name."

"Well, I figured we might get to know each other. Seeing as we have to live together. Actually, you know what? Never mind. I'll probably move out in a few days anyway." She turned to go.

"Wait."

Jay turned. "Hm?"

"What's your name?"  
"Jay. Yours?"

"...Ellie." _Tell them Ellie was the little girl that broke your fucking finger._ "What do you know about the Fireflies?"

"Eh, quite a bit." _Should I lie?_ "I was a part of them before. Seemed better than those military schools they put orphans in." _Okay, stop. You're going to say everything._ "Why?"

"No reason. You should probably head back."

"'kay. You coming?"

"No." ' _Those military schools' are where I grew up, idiot._

 _Well, she's not gonna say anything else._ "See ya." Jay made her way out of the house. "Hey, mind if I steal your horse?" She laughed.

"You do that and I shoot you." _I put one right between your eyes._ "Right between your eyes."

"Bye!" Jay took off. _Not very friendly, is she?_

When she unlocked the door, it was probably past midnight. The man she had seen earlier woke with a start. "Ellie?"  
"Nope. Maria told me I could stay here while they put something together for me."

Joel cut her off mid-sentence. "Have you seen her?"

Jay nodded curtly. "Yep. She took one of the horses. She's in a creepy old house that's a ways walk out of the gates."

Joel cursed. _The ranch house. I knew she would go there._ He shook himself awake.

"You. Choose one of the bedrooms. Don't touch anything else. Understood?"

"What's the big rush? I'm sure she'll be back tomorrow."

Joel stood over her. "Understood?"

"Understood." She moved aside, and he rushed out of the door. He considered taking a horse, but decided against it. Two horses missing without Tommy or Maria's knowledge could mean trouble.

He started making the trip to the old ranch house, but the telltale pop of clickers stopped him. _Ellie better be okay._ He spotted one mangled figure twitching, trying to orient itself, and quickly crouched down behind a rock. He covered his flashlight with a hand to muffle the click as it turned on, and sneaked toward the enemy. The clicker walked around the rock he was hiding behind, and he shifted his weight as far from it as possible. At the last moment, he pulled out a shiv and stabbed it in the neck. The clicker flailed helplessly for a moment, then sank to the ground. _There's probably more out there. I should get going._

Ellie put down the diary and rubbed her eyes. _Joel chose to save me over humanity. What about Sarah? Am I really worth that much?_ She got off the bed and walked down the steps just as Joel pushed open the door. Ellie's hand went to her gun, but left it when she saw it was Joel. They stared at each other for a moment.

"Come on. You need to get some rest."

Ellie walked the rest of the way down the steps.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, Ellie."

She ran the last two feet to him and threw her arms around him in a hug. _We fight, for every second we get to spend with one another, whether it's two minutes, or two days. We don't give that up._ After a moment, she felt Joel's arms wrap around her.

"Let's just… head back, okay kiddo?"

Ellie sniffed, trying to hold herself together. "Yeah."

"Hey." He pulled back, and lifted her chin up with a gentle finger. "You do understand why I did it, right?"

"Yeah," Ellie repeated, but she didn't know whether she was trying to convince herself or Joel. _It doesn't matter. Even if he did lie, he's all I have._

A numbness settled over Ellie as they made the trip back to the settlement, and she didn't protest when Joel told her to go to bed.

In the next room, Jay rolled over in her bed. Most of her things were not packed away yet, and were in a messy pile near the door. _Maria said I would have to earn my place. What did she mean? Do I have to devote my life to this place?_ She grinned into the darkness. _Is this like a secret cult or something?_ _Guess I'll find out tomorrow._

Long after the sun rose, Ellie's thoughts were still a million miles away. _No such thing as luck. No, you see I believe that everything happens for a reason._ Ellie was shook awake, her body banging on the cold floor. _Wakey wakey. Come on._ Ellie shoved her hands in front of her.

"Don't fucking touch me!" she yelped. Her hands connected with something solid.

"Ellie! It's me… you're okay." Her head spinning, she looked up into not David, but Joel's eyes. Breathing hard, she looked away.

"Sorry," she said.

"Nightmare?" Joel asked gently.

She sighed, her breath catching in her throat. "I hate bad dreams."

"Me too." Joel smiled slightly. He rubbed her back rhythmically, and her breathing returned to somewhat normal levels.

"I woke you up to tell you that I'm gonna be gone for a bit.

Tommy's put me on guard duty. I'll be back around lunchtime. But, uh… I can cancel if you need me."

Ellie's gaze drifted. "Uh, I think i'll be fine. But thanks for the offer."

"Alright. Might be good for you to meet some of the people you're goin' to be living with."

"Right." Joel rose to go, and Ellie got up off the bed.

"Make sure to get some breakfast. They actually try to put together something tasty here." He looked like he was going to say more, but walked out the door instead. His silhouette was replaced by one of the girl that Ellie had met the night before.

"Hey. Do you happen to know where breakfast is?" Jay asked.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Well, it's been a while! Sorry for not posting, life got in the way and I kind of lost motivation halfway through. This one's a little short, but the story's not over yet.**

"As a matter of fact, I do." Ellie said tersely.

"Well?"

Ellie sighed and pushed open the door. "I'll show you… wait I need to lock it."

"On it." Jay pushed her key in the lock and shook off the last of her grogginess. "Which way again?" As they walked through the streets, Jay couldn't help but be reminded of the place she had grown up. Some of her best memories were made at those Firefly training grounds. She stared down into the gravel that made up the road. Some of the worst memories had also happened just outside their walls, and she didn't want to dwell on those.

Ellie didn't talk much as they made the quick trip to the mess hall. As she pushed open the door with a creak, the last floating fragments of her nightmare slipped away.

"Here it is." The creaking of the door as it swung open announced their presence. Ellie's sullen face was replaced with one of wonder as she took in the wonderful smells of breakfast. _Joel's cooking never smelled this good._ She smiled faintly. _I'll have to tell him._ As they were pondering what to do, Tommy, came out of one of the side doors.

"Good to see you again, Ellie!" He ushered her into one of the chairs, and Jay sat down next to her, feeling very unwelcome. "What can I get for you two?"

Jay piped up, not wanting to be left out. "Anything's fine. I'm starving!"

"Yeah, same." Ellie agreed. A couple minutes later, a child brought out a stack of pancakes that were almost as big as she was.

"Mommy says I have to give these to you. She says you guys have to share!"

"Okay, we will!" Ellie chirped, and kind of awkwardly dragged one onto her plate. Jay ignored the child, and dug into the pancakes like a wolf.

"Mm… tastes like heaven… or whatever the equivalent is on earth." Ellie said through a full mouth.

Joel hurried into the watchtower, keeping his eyes on the horizon. He would never admit it to her, but he hated being away from Ellie, even if it was only for half a day. The last time he had left her… He suppressed a shudder. From time to time he would hear her mumbling about "tiny pieces," in her sleep and he didn't want to think about what that meant. Whatever had happened was bad enough that the nightmares were still eating away at her months later.

"How's it lookin'?" Tommy's voice made him jump, and he glanced over his shoulder at his brother.

"No sign of anyone around here."

"That's good." Tommy seemed to hesitate before talking again. "Maria told me Ellie's a lot quieter. I figured she would be happy, being the cure for humanity and all. What about you, notice anything?"  
The events of the night before flashed into Joel's mind.

"Yeah… I'll talk to her." He sighed, trying to shove the memories from his mind like he had done with everything else. Tommy seemed to sense the note of melancholy in his tone.

"You doing okay? If there's anything you're not telling me…" His gaze darted briefly into Joel's, and Joel looked away.

"Is anyone going to be comin' up here soon?" he said gruffly. Tommy looked back toward the center of the town.

"...Maybe in a little bit. Why?"

Joel sighed, trying to voice his thoughts.

"I need to talk to you… Privately." is what he eventually came up with.

"Alright." Tommy pulled a small walkie-talkie out of his pockets and pressed the button.

"Send someone up to the east tower." After a second, someone replied, "Coming."

Tommy walked away, leaving Joel behind.

"Come on."

Joel hesitantly followed, not sure what he was going to say. Tommy led him into one of the spare rooms, and pulled out two chairs.

"So?" Tommy prompted.

"We found the Fireflies," Joel started. He hesitated, a battle raging in his head. _Should I lie? He's my brother, I can't do that. But I lied to Ellie. What if she tells him?_

Joel was never one to outwardly display his emotions, but here he was, clenching the metal frame of his chair so hard his knuckles turned white.

"To extract the cure, they had to kill her. Something about it growing on the brain."

He paused, and ran a hand over his mouth. _Tommy could kick me out because of this, if he's angry enough._

"And they wouldn't let me take her… so I killed them." Tommy, who had been silent the whole time Joel was talking, slammed his hands on the table.

"What the fuck do you mean, killed them? She was the cure! You said so yourself at the-" he broke off abruptly as Joel's voice cut into his own.

"Do you even know what I had to go through to save her?"

Ellie finished off the last of her pancakes and got up, almost knocking over her chair. Acting instinctively, Jay reached out and caught it. The chair fell back onto four feel, and Jay stood up as well. She wiped her mouth with a sleeve.

"You want to go exploring?"

"Okay," Ellie replied slightly hesitantly. They headed outside, the bright sunlight almost blinding them as the door swung open.

Tommy jerked back slightly.

"Look, all I know is you could have stopped this. And you didn't." His expression changed. "This doesn't have anything to do with…" Time seemed to stop as Joel tried to push back the cacophony of thoughts that barreled into his mind.

"No," he spat. "It doesn't." They both knew he was lying.


End file.
